MACED seeks consulting services manager
June 2010
Overview
MACED is looking for a highly motivated enterprise development expert to help lead and coordinate our technical assistance services to small businesses and nonprofit organizations. This position will provide direct technical assistance, manage consultants who provide technical assistance and ensure appropriate technical assistance management systems are in place. MACED’s enterprise development effort aims to strengthen small businesses and nonprofit organizations that contribute to growing a stronger and more diverse economy, positively impact low-income people and promote a healthy environment.
Background
The Mountain Association for Community Economic Development (MACED) is a 34 year-old multi-strategy sustainable economic development organization that seeks to create economic alternatives that work for people and places in need throughout Central Appalachia (eastern Kentucky, southeast Ohio, southwest Virginia, northeast Tennessee and West Virginia).
MACED is a fast-paced, dynamic and growing organization with a 25-person staff that manages $17 million in total assets. The organization focuses its efforts on sustainable development and change strategies that generate economic and environmental benefits to local people and places. These strategies include: 1) providing financial capital and expertise to individuals, businesses and communities, 2) conducting research and engaging in effective communications to support good public policy, and 3) demonstrating effective community economic development efforts that make a difference. MACED has recently completed a new strategic plan that focuses on two sectors (new energy and sustainable forestry), deepens our commitment to entrepreneur and enterprise development, and promotes the development of a new economic vision in Appalachia.
Enterprise Development
MACED’s enterprise development program combines two of our core strategies—investing capital and providing capacity building efforts to grow entrepreneurs and community leaders. MACED provides loan capital, technical assistance and market knowledge as key tools to help build enterprises and entrepreneurs that provide important development benefits to the region. We lend between $2 and $3 million and provide meaningful technical assistance to more than 50 entrepreneurs a year.
Our efforts are currently focused in three directions—1) developing efforts to strengthen energy efficiency and sustainable forestry related enterprises and opportunities, 2) focusing on enterprises in the community services, natural resources and cultural assets areas, and 3) refining our efforts to provide effective support to micro-entrepreneurs and enterprises. The Enterprise Development team partners closely with other MACED programs with sector expertise. The enterprise development program staff will soon anchor a new MACED office in southeast Kentucky. Our technical assistance strategies include staff- and consultant-delivered one-on-one technical assistance focused on financial systems and reporting, business planning and marketing. We also provide some classroom-based training.
Our enterprise development team consists of four full-time staff. We work closely with the portfolio support team to monitor the health of our loan fund. We are working to expand the team to six full-time staff. We currently operate from two Kentucky offices, in Berea and Paintsville.
Position Description
The duties and responsibilities of the program manager include but are not limited to the following.
• Conduct organizational assessments of small enterprises.
• Develop and maintain assessment tools and resources.
• Develop relationships with technical assistance providers across MACED’s service area.
• Manage technical assistance consultants to ensure quality and affordable service delivery.
• Provide direct technical assistance to for-profit and nonprofit clients in core business planning, financial analysis and modeling, financial systems development and strategic planning.
• Ensure criteria that define technical assistance targets and eligibility in a limited financial resource environment.
• Ensure adequate systems to track the impact and financial implications of technical assistance provision.
• Scan for innovations in technical assistance tools and strategies that would work in our service area.
• Manage and align resources needed to provide occasional workshop or classroom-based trainings.
• Evaluate and improve the ongoing provision of technical assistance.
• Work closely with staff to identify client technical assistance needs and solutions.
• Support staff in the direct provision of technical assistance.
• Assist in the identification of financial resources to support technical assistance provision.
• Provide internal and grant reporting.
• Represent MACED at conferences, events and presentations.
• Practice safety in all aspects of the job.
• Other duties as assigned.
Minimum Qualifications and Characteristics
• Commitment to sustainable development.
• Minimum of three years of small enterprise management, operations or financial analysis experience.
• Minimum of a four-year college degree in business, economics, management or related field.
• Demonstrable experience as trainer and/or consultant.
• Strong financial management and strategic planning skills.
• Successful experience in supervision and group facilitation; able to work successfully on a team with diverse members.
• Strong written, interpersonal and presentation-based communication skills.
• Commitment to strategic thinking and innovative action.
• Strong computer skills.
• Highly self-motivated.
• Well-organized, attentive to detail, creative, able to work on multiple projects at once.
• Keen sense of humor!
• Valid driver license.
• Close vision with or without corrective lenses necessary for computer work. Manual dexterity needed to operate computer.
Preferred Qualifications and Characteristics
• Significant knowledge of and appreciation for the Appalachian region.
• MBA.
• Rural development or community development financial institution experience.
• Experience with evaluation.
Additional Information
The position offers a competitive salary, based on experience, plus a generous benefits package. Position is based in Berea, Kentucky. Berea is a beautiful, small college town, an hour south of Lexington, on the edge of the Appalachian region. MACED is an equal opportunity employer.
Please e-mail your resume, three references and a cover letter specifically explaining why you are interested in working in Appalachian Kentucky and why you are a good fit for this position to
ConsultingServicesManager@maced.org. Application review will be on-going and continue until the position is filled. For more information about MACED, visit www.maced.org.
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